A Classic Village: Why We Love Cos Cob

cos-cob-old-fire-truck-fi

Multiple Contributors
Sentinel Staff

The antique fire truck is incredibly popular for events and parades. Photo by John Ferris Robben.
The antique fire truck is incredibly popular for events and parades. Photo by John Ferris Robben.

Cos Cob is a lively, village-like part of Greenwich with a community spirit that is at once stylish, fun, and old-fashioned.

In the heart of Cos Cob, the Cos Cob Library, rebuilt in 1999, is one of the most beloved places in town. Catering to families in particular, the scale of the library and adjoining pocket park make it magical for children and a welcome respite for adults.

Even the Starbucks across the street is a little friendlier and cozier than most, with a distinct neighborhood ambience.

With every amenity and shopping experience you need, it is hard to believe so much is packed into the central hub of Cos Cob without it feeling crowded.

There is so much to Cos Cob that it would be impossible to cover it all in one article, so here are a few of our favorites, but visit Cos Cob for yourself and explore for the day. There’s more than enough to keep you occupied.

9/11 Memorial at Cos Cob Park

The 9/11 Memorial is less than a year old in Cos Cob Park.
The 9/11 Memorial is less than a year old in Cos Cob Park.

The Fibonacci spiral is often called nature’s golden ratio.

The spiral, which can be written out as a logarithm, appears in many life forms, including flower petals, pinecones, seashells, the whorls of our fingers, even our faces. It reminds us that life is mysterious and enduring, repeating itself in surprising ways.

In Cos Cob Park at the 9/11 Memorial, the pathway replicating the Fibonacci spiral curves up to the centerpiece of the 9/11 Memorial—two glass towers recalling both the Twin Towers and the Tribute in Light memorial that shines annually in remembrance of the towers.

The glass towers at the top of the pathway are engraved with the names of those with Greenwich ties who lost their lives on 9/11. The 32 names on the glass memorial run vertically, and are aligned to form the words “Love,” “Freedom,” “Liberty,” “Courage” and “Forever” as acrostics running horizontally. A 33rd name, Donald Freeman Greene, is set among the paving stones to represent his death in the crash at Shanksville, Penn.

Five years of careful planning and designing resulted in the scenic view surrounding the memorial, with thought put into every detail of the site.

Rinaldi’s Country Deli Fresh As the Generations Turn

It’s 4:30 in the morning, and while most people are still tucked in their beds, Antoinette Martinez is wide awake and hard at work, opening Rinaldi’s Country Deli in Cos Cob.

Situated in a residential neighborhood at 70 Orchard Street, Rinaldi’s is an institution to some, and a family business for Martinez and her sister and business partner, Michelle Rinaldi.

Rinaldi’s offerings include breakfast sandwiches (served all day), salads and deli sandwiches such as The Crusher Roast Beef—with lettuce, onions, pickles and roasted peppers—and The Navy Seal—Cajun chicken with ham, bacon, roasted peppers, Swiss cheese, honey mustard and BBQ sauce. Hot foods are also a staple at the deli, including its signature wings, chicken and meatball parmigiana.

The sisters told the Greenwich Sentinel that it’s the customers that keep the wheels in motion at Rinaldi’s. “It’s a family within a family.”

“[Customers] love coming back to [Rinaldi’s] because, as much as the town has changed, we’ve always stayed the same,” Rinaldi said. “You can still find us after all these years, the same people here.”

Rinaldi’s is open Monday to Friday, 5 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. The store is closed on Sundays. For more, visit www.rinaldis-deli.com, or call 203-622-8315.

David N. Theis Memorial Bridge

The late Greenwich Selectman David Theis couldn’t have been prouder of the town he called home. Last year, the name of the bridge over the Mianus River on Route 1 was officially named the David N. Theis Memorial Bridge.

Every year around

Memorial Day, Theis would take great pride in tying American flags to the bridge. It was one of his favorite times of the year.

Caren’s Cos Cobber Owner Takes Reins for the Long Haul

Restaurant life wasn’t the life that Caren Vizzo ever thought she’d be living.

A kindergarten teacher for 13 years, the Cos Cob native found herself in uncharted territory in 2011, when she and three partners opened the Cos Cobber. Now with a fairly new name—Caren’s Cos Cobber—and sole ownership, Vizzo is continuing to learn her new trade and make her establishment her own as it carries on in its fifth year.

The owner credits her staff and her customers for keeping her grounded and helping make the business successful.

Serving a large menu of

items, ranging from burgers to Vizzo’s personal favorite—Linguine Vongole (linguine with clam sauce)—to Chicken Francaise to fish and chips, Caren’s Cos Cobber is a mix of American standards, Italian favorites and more that helps make this hotspot a neighborhood draw.

“Cos Cob is such a wonderful community,” Caren said. “When people walk in it’s like, ‘Hey, people know each other.’ It’s a neighborhood place.”

In addition to a full bar and restaurant, Caren’s Cos Cobber offers occasional live music.

Caren’s Cos Cobber is open for lunch & dinner during the week 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and brunch Saturdays 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information on Caren’s Cos Cobber, stop by the restaurant, call (203) 992-1333, e-mail carenscoscobber@
optimum.net, or visit the website carenscoscobber.com.

Rare Coin Dealer Finds a Niche

Little did Chris Moran know as a young boy watching his grandfather collect coins that he was learning life lessons that would help shape his professional future. All grown up now, Moran is owner and operator of The Happy Coin, a marketplace for the collection, sale and appraisal of rare coins, jewelry and precious metals.

Now with a gallery in the heart of Cos Cob, Moran has transformed his favorite pastime into a business that helps others find value in rare items. And customers have been responding in kind.

More about The Happy Coin may be found on the website, by stopping at the gallery at 418 East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob, or by calling 1 (800) 544-3750.

The vintage postcard pictured in the upper right corner is from 1920 and is the Cos Cob elementary school.
The vintage postcard pictured in the upper right corner is from 1920 and is the Cos Cob elementary school.
Related Posts
Loading...